'Truth' as an expression of agreement

Wheatley October 29, 2018 at 13:19 6750 views 13 comments

'True' is just something we say when when we agree with some proposition, no more and no less. True does not refer to anything. To say something is 'true' we aren't referring to any correspondence or coherence of ideas. We are just sincerely expressing our agreement.

It's illogical to agree with a proposition and at the same time sincerely say, "it's not true" All that one needs to make up her mind and say that proposition X is true is whether or not she agrees with that proposition. So there you go, the necessary and sufficient conditions for saying something is 'true'.

Any problems?

Comments (13)

Monitor October 29, 2018 at 16:54 #223206 0 likes

I agree. Perhaps truth is just a social cooperation strategy so we can get on with a common task.

unenlightened October 29, 2018 at 19:27 #223242 0 likes

Quoting Purple Pond

Any problems?

Yup. If we, you and I, agree about something (God forbid), we agree that we think it is true. But that does not make it true, it only makes it true that that we think it is true. Even if we agreed that unenlightened is the wisest person on the forum, that would not make it true. I can be wrong, and even you can be wrong, and in this case, you are wrong, although obviously you don't think you are wrong until you change your mind.

Shawn October 29, 2018 at 19:34 #223244 0 likes

I like to think that Rogerian agreements are the best. But, unenlightened is correct I. That we can still be wrong, although it's a matter of degrees of truth here.

Marchesk October 29, 2018 at 19:58 #223258 0 likes

Quoting Purple Pond

Any problems?

I disagree with your notion of truth.

Wheatley October 29, 2018 at 19:59 #223259 0 likes

Reply to unenlightened
I'm not saying that agreeing that something is true makes it true. I'm saying that when we say something is 'true' we are merely an expressing an agreement. There's a subtle difference.

Marchesk October 29, 2018 at 20:10 #223266 0 likes

Quoting Purple Pond

I'm not saying that agreeing that something is true makes it true. I'm saying that when we say something is 'true' we are merely an expressing an agreement. There's a subtle difference.

That seems to setup a double meaning for truth. One being how things are, the other being whether we agree with a statement on how things are.

unenlightened October 29, 2018 at 20:12 #223269 0 likes

Reply to Purple Pond It's subtle, yet I managed to pick it up, because it is true that I am the wisest person on the forum. (Ain't that the truth!)

To say, 'P is true' is to agree that P.

But for 'P' to be true is something completely different, and independent of what is said.

Thus affirmation of truth is an expression of agreement, but truth is somfin' else.

Marchesk October 29, 2018 at 20:18 #223274 0 likes

Quoting unenlightened

Thus affirmation of truth is an expression of agreement, but truth is somfin' else.

Maybe we should use different terms. One is truth, the other is agreement. Or one is truth, the other is states of affairs, or whatever.

unenlightened October 29, 2018 at 20:30 #223278 0 likes

Quoting Marchesk

Maybe we should use different terms. One is truth, the other is agreement

That's a really good idea. I agree.

Marchesk October 29, 2018 at 20:36 #223280 0 likes

Quoting unenlightened

That's a really good idea. I agree.

But is it true?

unenlightened October 29, 2018 at 20:39 #223283 0 likes

Reply to Marchesk Not according to an error theorist.

Shawn October 29, 2018 at 20:40 #223284 0 likes

Pragmatically speaking, all of this makes sense. How couldn't it?

Wheatley October 29, 2018 at 21:07 #223298 0 likes

Incidentally, I looked at the Wikipedia page on truth, and I didn't realize there was an actual theory like the one in the OP called the performative theory of truth. It looks like Strawson beat me to it.